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Thursday, March 15, 2018

Kirk Cousins has a "grocery list" full of reasons the Vikings are a fit

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has a grocery list full of reasons why he chose the Vikings and it starts with a desire to win.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has a grocery list full
of reasons why he chose the Vikings. In the coming years, he'll have a chance to justify the long list he wrote.

"I would be here a long time if I were to read off the
grocery list of why this is a great fit,” Cousins said during his introductory
press conference. “But ultimately the question is ‘will we win a lot of football
games?', and I believe we will.”

The former Washington Redskins quarterback had the opportunity to
choose his team for the first time since 2007. A fourth round draft pick out of Michigan State in 2012, Cousins was franchise tagged for each of the past two seasons in Washington. This offseason, his services hit the market for 31 other teams. With the Vikings reaching the NFC Championship in 2017, Cousins believes he found the right match.

"Winning is what I said it would be all about and it's
true. I came here because of the chance to win,” Cousins said.

Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed
contract on Thursday and will become the Vikings’ 19th quarterback to
take a snap since 2000. It’s why the front office spent cash as they searched
for a franchise option.

“Our number one priority going into the offseason was to solidify
the quarterback position,” Vikings GM Rick Spielman said.

The Vikings were paying attention, but little did they know, Cousins was too. The
top free-agent watched the Vikings from afar and was impressed with the culture
in the locker room and front office. The quarterback was selected to the Pro Bowl
in 2017 and had the chance to work with five Vikings players. During those
moments, he saw a glimpse into the culture Mike Zimmer and Co. have built in
Minnesota.

"I could tell right away that some of the best players
on the Vikings are also some of the best men and best leaders,” Cousins said.

Cousins self-toured Minnesota during Super Bowl week and took advantage
of the opportunity to get familiar with the city. He drove to Winter Park,
Eagan, and wandered Radio Row at the Mall of America.

“I called [my wife] during the end of Super Bowl week and said that everything
was checking off here in Minnesota.”

Just over a month later, Cousins signed the first fully guaranteed
contract in NFL history, making him the highest-paid quarterback in the league.

He joins the Vikings after starting each of the past three
seasons in Washington. Cousins completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 16,206
yards, 99 touchdowns and 55 interceptions in six total seasons. He has passed
for more than 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons,
a feat which has occurred just three times in the history of the Minnesota
Vikings franchise.

The contract might be signed, but the real work is just starting
for Cousins, who will reach out to all of his new teammates in the coming
weeks.

“Now the work begins. I’m not here to sign a contract. I’m
here to play football,” Cousins said. “I believe the pieces are in place, if we
stay humble and hungry.”

Entering the offseason, a top priority for the Vikings was
to find a franchise quarterback to build around for the foreseeable future.
Cousins, 29, will enter a stable situation with a talented set of skill players
and new offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo.

“When you coach the potential MVP of the league and then you
coach the other quarterback to a Super Bowl MVP, I know that about [DeFilippo],”
Cousins said. “[I] love what they did offensively in Philadelphia.”

Even Cousins' new head coach is happy he’ll be crafting gameplans
with Cousins, rather than against him. Mike Zimmer said he did extensive research on the
new quarterback, calling former coaches who worked with or coached against
Cousins. He liked what he found: a player who has always been considered an
underdog.

“One
of the other things I like about him is he's a guy who's always had to prove
himself, like a lot of guys on this team,” Cousins said. “He’s always played with
a chip on his shoulder.”

Nobody knows how this contract will turn out, but Cousins
and the Vikings view this marriage as a chance to build a legacy stretching
into the future. The quarterback has a chance to prove he is worth the money,
something Cousins hopes will keep him around the Twin Cities for years to come.

“This is a three-year
deal, but the expectation from both sides is that we raise our kids here and we
stay for a long, long time,” Cousins said.